intrigue
by pipalia
Summary: Indie band/Bar AU; They lock eyes across a crowded bar and lock lips in a musty bathroom stall. [pjo rarepair fic]


As Jason tuned his guitar and Leo made sure his signature synth/drum/keyboard machine thing worked, Piper glanced at the crowd while twirling the mic cord around her index finger. She gauged the number of people hanging around the bar, as opposed to last friday the crowd grew just a bit bigger, only enough to notice if you were really paying attention, like Piper did. She practically did a headcount every week and quietly hoped that their band was _finally _gaining some recognition.

It had been Piper and Leo's idea to start the band two years ago and they roped Jason into it. For two years, they worked their asses off writing as much music as possible while working jobs on the side until they made enough money to record. About two months ago, Jason's ex girlfriend Reyna, whom he was still close friends with, offered them a gig at her newly opened bar for every Friday night. She couldn't afford to pay them yet but Piper was honestly just glad to have the opportunity to play live, in front of people, instead of in her dad's garage. Even if it was just on the floor of a small, out-of-the-way bar in San Francisco.

Jason glanced at his watch and signaled to Reyna, standing behind the bar, that it was 8 o'clock. She nodded and approached their pseudo-stage.

"Nervous?" Reyna asked Piper, taking the mic from her and grinning.

Piper scoffed. "Who do you think I am Arellano?"

"Is Percy coming tonight?" Jason asked Reyna, feining nonchalance. Reyna and Piper exchanged a knowing look. The blond guitarist had been not-so-secretly crushing on Reyna's friend, Percy Jackson, since the first time he came to see them play.

"Yeah he's coming. Probably just running late. He said he was bringing some friends," She then turned to address the crowd. "Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. Jupiter's Bar proudly presents, _Lost Heroes_!"

A loud cheering arose from the crowd that brought a genuine smile to Piper's face. All eyes were on the band and she felt fantastic. She turned around and saw her smile and energy mirrored by her fellow band members.

Tonight was going to be great. She could feel it.

As they started the first couple bars of their opening song, Piper noticed the door open and three people usher in, seeking refuge from the wind and rain. She recognized Reyna's girlfriend, Annabeth, her friend Hazel, and Percy. With them was a very tall, broad-shouldered, East Asian guy who she had never met before. Their eyes locked for a second and she felt a flutter of nerves, immediately charmed by this handsome stranger. There was something about him that intrigued her instantly. She broke eye contact. She decided she wanted this guy to be just as intrigued by her as she was by him.

So she let go of her thoughts and lost herself in the music. She swayed and danced until finally she opened her mouth to sing. As the first couple of notes left her, she locked eyes again with the guy and saw him looking right at her, eyebrows raised slightly. _In intrigue? _

She hoped.

For the next hour, _Lost Heroes_ gave the performance of their lives. They were graciously awarded with thunderous applause and cheering after the finish of each song. The audience's energy was high and Piper, Jason, and Leo seemed to feed off of it. Each song was better than the last. Throughout the set, Piper continued to seek out her handsome stranger in the crowd and would put on a bit of a show for him.

She could see that it was working.

Out of breath, the band finally finished the last song of their set and were rewarded with a standing ovation from everyone in the bar. Piper thanked the crowd and informed them that their debut record could be found online. Her and the boys packed things up and eventually started to make their way over to their friends' table, navigating through a crowd of praise.

Piper was full of pure energy, she felt so happy and giddy she was practically bouncing. She felt like her dream could actually become a reality, and she was convinced there was no better feeling - until he laid eyes on her.

His eyes held the intensity of fire, melting her where she stood but also the sweetness of sugar. Piper's body reacted to his gaze, she felt her skin sparking and her insides growing warm with an anticipation of sorts. When he smiled coyly at her, she swore she was going to explode.

She managed to saunter over to the table where he was sitting, along with all her friends. She greeted them all, hugs and praise being exchanged all around. She noticed Percy whisper something in Jason's ear when they hugged, grinning wickedly while Jason tried to hide the fact he was turning beet red. Finally she turned to the handsome stranger, whose eyes were like fire and sugar, smile like an ignition for her engine.

"I don't think we've met," she addressed him.

"Oh! Piper, this is Fr-" Percy was cut off.

"Frank. Frank Zhang," He stood to greet her and smiled differently this time, a little more shyly, causing Piper's skin to buzz. Frank held out his hand to shake hers, "Amazing performance tonight. Your vocals are enchanting." They shook hands, Piper's tiny ones completely engulfed by his, and Piper tried not to blush at the unique compliment.

"Well what can I say? I've been told I'm quite the enchanting person," She smiled and released his hand with some reluctance, as everyone sat down to chat.

She could feel his eyes on her periodically, just as hers were on him. They were dancing around each other, small smiles, quick glances. Finally, Piper decided she was going to get what she wanted. She started to slowly run her foot up and down his lower leg. She smirked when he saw him stiffen, then grinned wickedly when he realized what was happening and glanced over at her with his intensely sweet gaze. He grinned too and raised his eyebrows, so she continued to run her foot up his leg, getting a little bit higher with each graze. He closed his eyes and bit his lip ever so slightly. Suddenly, Piper couldn't take it anymore. She stood up abruptly, announcing to the table that she was going to the bathroom. They nodded and returned to normal conversation, except Frank who kept his gaze trained on her.

Maybe it was the energy of the show, still coursing in her veins. Maybe it was the more than a few drinks she had had. Maybe it was his intrigue that made her feel confident.

Whatever it was, as she passed him to make her way to the bathroom, she leaned down. She pressed herself against him. She whispered softly in his ear.

This wasn't her, this wasn't something she would ever be brave enough to do.

But tonight was different.

"_Wanna come?_"

He was up on his feet so quick that he stumbled a little, looking at her sheepishly. She grinned, grabbed his hand, and in moments, Piper was being pushed against the wall of a musty bar bathroom, her mouth opening for his, arms thrown around his neck.

He placed his hands on the back of her thighs, lifting her up around his waist like she was weightless. She ran her fingers through his short hair and pressed herself into him, wanting to melt. He pulled back for a second, breathing heavy.

"Is this ok?" He asked her, sincerity and lust dancing in his eyes.

Piper nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," She told him.

"Yes," she murmured into his lips.

She had been right.

Tonight was going to be great.


End file.
